


The Three Things Mori-Senpai Never Considered

by dracomalfoy



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 02:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5894863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracomalfoy/pseuds/dracomalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You're so oblivious, Takashi!”</p><p>It takes 3 isolated, awkward incidents for Mori-senpai to realize Honey-senpai's true feelings about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thursday

“Takashi!!!”

The bubblegum-sweet voice has Mori's head turning as he walks through the door.

Arms outstretched and waving wildly through the air, Honey sits at their usual table flanked by two female Ouran students who seem to be fawning over something undoubtedly precious that has just left the boy-lolita's mouth.

“Come sit with us!” he says, as if Mori would sit anywhere _else_ in Music Room #3 than beside his protected.

A silent nod and the taller boy takes a seat across from his cousin, poising himself with his shoulders back and a napkin in his lap in case he decides to have something other than a cup of tea (he never does).

And within seconds the girls have begun their flattery where they left off.

“We were just telling Honey how much we would _love_ to have a royal tea party with him sometime,” the girl with an upturned nose and long – possibly faux – lashes coos.

“We have tea parties all the time at home, don't we, Takashi?”

“Yeah,” Mori affirms while barely moving a muscle to speak. He takes a silent sip of his black tea.

“Would you bring your bunny rabbit, Honey?” asks the girl on the other side, one with long black hair and sparkling diamond earrings.

A fleeting twitch marks Honey's childlike face and Mori knows it unmistakably as indignation for the boy would _never_ go anywhere without his stuffed rabbit.

Yet Honey is smiling wide, squeezing the pink bunny with all his might. Only Mori seems to have caught the way he took offense to the question.

“Of course! Usa-chan loves tea parties!”

Both girls release a simultaneous ' _Awww_ ', their shoulders slipping low as they clutch their hands to their chests. They've melted so easily. Then again, Honey has the easiest job amongst all the hosts. Their customers might suspect the loli act to be just that, an act, but both Honey and Mori know it to be the true expression of his personality. All he has to do is smile and the ladies practically lose it.

The smaller boy takes his chance to reach for the middle of the table where a platter of highly stacked cupcakes has been displayed. He's just about to wrap his little hand around one frosted with white and pink sprinkles when he lifts his gaze to Mori.

“Takashi, can I?”

Expressionless as always, it's difficult for anyone to decipher what the strong-silent type is thinking most of the time, but even the slightest change of demeanor gives Honey the answer he needs. Mori blinks and the corners of his lips upturn.

“Yay!!!”

It's the reaction Honey was hoping for and within no time the cupcake (and two or three more) have been downed effortlessly by the pint sized host.

“Thanks, Takashi! I love you!”

I love you? That's new.

Mori's smile falls to a thin, flat line. His shoulders become rigid.

The girls turn to stare, their eyes wide with hopes of one of Renge's poorly coined “moe moments” and Mori can almost feel their hearts stopping with anticipation. Oh wait, that's _his_ heart stopping. What should he say? It shouldn't be so hard to just give the girls the show they so eagerly want, but he can't seem to will his tongue to say the words in response.

Honey is staring at him as well, his big chocolate brown eyes shimmering with what looks like the beginnings of tears. No, Mori can't have that.

“I... love you, too, Mitsukuni.”

The words are a low mumble but they can be heard by everyone at the small table. Thank goodness it's enough to get the job done.

The girls squeal appreciatively, wiggling in their seats and kicking their feet up and down under the tablecloth.

Honey also appears pleased, his cheeks flushing with pinkness. He takes another cupcake and makes it disappear.

After the “moe moment” passes, the rest of the day's club meeting goes on like normal. Mori, however, can't help but remain a little rigid until the end of the day.


	2. Saturday (two days later)

“Right this way, gentlemen.”

Honey and Mori follow a sharp dressed waiter to a table at the far corner of the restaurant, the small boy clinging to his cousin's arm with one hand, Usa-chan (wearing a bowtie) in the other.

It's a traditional hot-pot with lavish décor and a view looking out over gardens of lilac bushes and fountains. Honey plops down into his seat and allows the waiter to push it in behind him. Yet Mori's brow creases slightly. He remains standing.

“Mitsukuni, this is the wrong table.”

The waiter perks with momentary fear before pulling the black reservation book from under his arm.

“A reservation for _two_ under the name Haninozuka?”

Honey giggles softly and gestures to the empty seat across from him.

Mori doesn't respond and his body language isn't very helpful either. He's unmoving, gaze locked on the two-person table they've been led to. It's positioned in a small alcove next to a very large window so they have a view of the gardens. A candle is lit on the table next to a very expertly arranged vase of Casablanca lilies. The setting is very... romantic.

The waiter trembles waiting for a response from the tall, dark featured boy. Mori has a tendency of striking fear in the average person, but he's undoubtedly the most gentle of the hosts.

“Okay,” he finally speaks and the waiter nearly falls backwards as he takes in a breath of relief.

They take the menus and Mori sits down, his eyes – nearly a glare – are fixed on the boy on the other side of the table.

After the waiter rushes away and leaves them in peace, Mori speaks again, this time his voice echoing an accusatory tone.

“Where are the others, Mitsukini?”

Honey shrugs his shoulders innocently, another giggle bubbling past his lips.

“You're not mad, are you Takashi?”

“No,” he keeps his reply short knowing Honey understands without the need for long sentences. He's not mad. He's just confused, is all.

“When I told the rest of the Host Club where we were going, they decided it was too romantic for a group meeting.”

Mori folds his hands and just listens.

“The twins started it and then Tama-chan said he wouldn't let Haru-chan come to a place with such a reputation if she was gonna be with a bunch of other boys.”

Such a reputation? Mori feels his fingertips grow a little tingly.

“Anyway, they said to enjoy our date!”

 _DATE_?

Mori's eyes bug for a moment, his palms slapping onto the table.

Just then, the waiter returns – to Mori's better luck – and when he does he brings a complimentary plate of appetizers and two drinks garnished with full, red strawberries balanced on a silver tray. Honey bounces in his seat, mouth watering.

“May I take your order or shall I come back later?”

“Sweet Scallop Delicacy, please!”

Mori can't recall seeing Honey look at a menu and he certainly hasn't had a chance to look at one, himself.

“Anything else?” the waiter passes a glance over to Mori, but Honey butts in again.

“And fried ice cream at the end!”

The waiter nods. “One pot of Sweet Scallop Delicacy, followed by fried ice cream for dessert.”

He takes a bow and begins to walk away, but Mori tips his head to the side and clears his throat.

“Yes, sir?”

Honey laughs, waving a hand in nonchalance. “Silly, Takashi!”

The waiter and Mori both stare at the smaller boy.

“We share the pot, that's part of what makes it soooooo romantic!”

Heat rises to Mori's face painting the pointed features of his nose and around his lips as the waiter inches away to safety. Honey is a lot smarter than most people give him credit for. Mori should have guessed the boy-lolita would have something like this planned.

Silence overtakes the table as Honey digs into their appetizers, a colorful array of seafood, vegetables and fruits. He's clearly unfazed by the romantic notion of a date, but for some odd reason unknown to him, Mori finds himself growing more and more uncomfortable at the thought.

After several minutes of absently focusing on the sunset over the outside gardens and not even glancing at the array of food, Mori is pulled back to reality by his cousin's tiny voice.

“Takashi?”

His attention snaps to the boy. Honey's voice is quiet and clearly missing the usual accents of melodious saccharin it's typically laced with. His eyes have that watery look as if he just might cry. _Oh, no._

“Yeah?”

The small boy's lips tremble as if he struggles to say the words without bursting into a fit of sobs. “Why don't you like being on a date with me?”

They lock eyes despite Mori's intense desire to look away in shame. Is his discomfort really so obvious? It's not unknown that the two boys share an unspoken sensitivity of each others' emotions and thoughts, but Mori hasn't quite considered how deeply his lack of excitement is really effecting his cousin.

A slow exhale leaves his lips and the taller boy hangs his head, eyes closing apologetically.

“I'm sorry, Mitsukuni.”

His answer warrants a whimper from Honey, but still no substantial tears yet.

“You _are_ mad at me, aren't you?”

Mori shakes his head from side to side, lifting his eyes to look once more upon the boy across the table. “No, I'm not.”

“But why –– ”

The blonde's voice raises almost disgracefully, but Mori stops the sound with a gentle finger to Honey's lips. Honey freezes, his cheeks filling with color to match his cousin's identical blush.

“I don't mind being on a date with you, Mitsukuni.”

Mori keeps his finger at Honey's mouth for an extra second before brushing some crumbs away from the soft, pale skin and settling back to his side of the table.

"I _do_ like it."

Honey no longer looks as though he might burst out in tears, but as if he may burst into a fit of childish screams and giggles instead. Thankfully, Mori is saved from the boy's potential expression of glee by the arrival of their food.

“I'd better turn on the burner. You don't want to hurt yourself,” Mori explains while Honey sits back and allows himself to be served for the rest of the evening.

Mori gets the hot-pot cooking, feeling just as warm under the collar as the soup when it begins to boil. 

 


	3. Monday (two more days after)

Music Room #3 sparkles with chandeliers and new china, the entire room decked out with diamonds from floor to ceiling. Today's theme is European Aristocracy, obviously Tamaki's idea. Each host wears a suit with coattails and fluffy cravats as they entertain their respective female guests. 

Mori and Honey are at their usual table set away from the rest of the hosts, as always. They may not receive nearly as many guests as Tamaki or the twins or even Haruhi, but they make their job look effortless with the few clients they do get.

“Oh Honey, you just look so cute in that outfit!” A girl with pigtails flashes a playful smile as the boy-lolita straightens his cuffed sleeve to dip into a bowl of custard with his spoon.

“I could be a prince, right?” he muses in between spoonfuls.

“Oh, yes. The cutest little prince in the whole world!” Another girl with heavy makeup replies.

Meanwhile, Mori flips through the pages of a book no one's asked him about but which focuses on a boy raised by bears in the wilderness. It's just compelling enough so he doesn't fall asleep. Yet he has enough of his attention on his cousin's conversation so he can respond or act when necessary without really being a part of it.

“If I'm a prince, then that means _you_ ladies can be my princesses!”

Honey has such a way with the girls, sending them into squirming, blushing messes with just a few sweet words.

Mori has perfected the art of drifting off into another world when the guests start acting like this. After all, his expression seldom changes so no one can really tell the difference.

Likely triggered by his hourly sugar-high, Honey bounces from his seat and begins twirling in circles beside their guests, his coattails flying up into the air from nearly touching the floor. 

“Look at my tails when I spin!” 

He really  _is_ amused by the simplest of things.

“Awwww, cute!” the girls squeal, clapping. 

Honey spins and spins, so much so that Mori wonders if he'll vomit up his snack before he flops down on the floor with dizziness. But neither unfortunate event occurs. 

A sheer moment before the rest of their company notices, Mori's ears twitch with intuition and he turns quickly to his cousin. It's too late; however, and he watches one of Honey's coattails become caught under his little feet, sending him sliding backwards and onto the floor with a  _smack_ ! 

“HONEY!”

Everyone gasps and immediately ceases their actions to watch on with worried, sympathetic eyes.

The boy-lolita has barely a moment to start wailing before his cousin is wrapping him up in his arms and lifting him off the floor.

“Waaaaaaaaahhhh!” 

Whispers begin spreading around the music room.

“Oh, poor thing...”

“I hope he's okay...”

The tears stream down Honey's face, Usa-chan tucked tightly in his arms as Mori pets his hair with an extreme practiced patience. 

“Are you hurt, Mitsukuni?”

A pitiful nod and Honey points down to his foot.

“My ankle!” he cries, sobbing so hard his stuffed bunny's face becomes wet with tears.

“Kyoya... ” Mori calls out and in seconds the bespectacled host is by his side pushing his glasses up his nose.

Honey somehow finds it within himself to hold in some of his crying so Kyoya can inspect the ankle. Delicate, cold fingers bend and press to the boy's afflicted area. A few hums expel from Kyoya's throat as he thinks but still gives no answer, leaving everybody – especially Mori – in anticipation.

“Will he be alright?” Tamaki questions, sliding his way beside Kyoya to get his own look at the boy's injury.

“Well, it's not sprained. At the most, it will bruise, but overall you will be alright, Honey-senpai.”

The whole room exhales in shared relief. 

“Mori-senpai, why don't you tuck Honey-senpai in for an early nap,” Tamaki requests softly.

“Yeah,” Mori agrees.

Honey sniffles and wipes the tears from his puffy eyes.

“Haruhi can take on Honey-senpai's guests in his absence. Right, Haruhi?”

The girl in disguise as a boy pales at Tamaki's suggestion. “W-what? Me? But I'm not a boy-lolita... ”

A few giggles escape from Honey's clients. “Oh, we don't mind Haruhi.”

The rest of the discussion is lost on Honey as Mori carries him into the next room separated from the other hosts by an archway decorated in rose vines and more shiny diamonds for the occasion. It's in here where Honey's curtained sofa resides, always ready for the boy's slumbering. Mori, being the one to tuck him in every day, sets his cousin down with extra gentleness, careful not to upset the injured ankle.

“Sit here while I get your blanket.”

Mori stands up to walk away, but his hand becomes caught in a tight grasp by the smaller boy's little fingers pulling him back.

“Takashi?”

He looks blankly upon Honey who has finally stopped crying. 

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a kiss to make it better?”

Mori's ears go red. It's not a strange request, of course. He always kisses Honey's boo-boos, but lately he's felt rather uncomfortable by his cousin's displays of affection.

Yet obedient as always, the tall boy gets down on one knee beside Honey and takes the little foot in his hand. He carefully lifts the fabric of Honey's pant leg to expose his ankle, leaning down to give it a kiss before ––

“Takashi!”

Mori pulls back, eyes meeting Honey's. The small boy smiles now, a devious look spread across his childlike features. 

“...Mitsukini?”

Honey scoots forward on the sofa, his hands finding the sides of Mori's face. He can't pull away even though he knows what's to come. Honey kisses him. On the lips. 

The kiss is gentle, soft, and sweet like Honey, and it lasts less than thirty seconds before they separate. 

“You're so oblivious, Takashi!”

Honey is kicking his legs back and forth, suddenly unaware of the “pain” in his ankle so much so that Mori wonders if it was all an act to begin with.

“I... don't understand.” 

Mori sits back, his fingertips moving to his own mouth as if to protect himself from more unexpected kisses.

“I didn't want you to kiss my boo-boo, I wanted you to kiss me!” Honey smirks with Usa-chan back in his tiny clutches once more. 

“Yeah. I get that now.” 

Mori can't help the heat spreading all through his body boiling in his veins and beating in his eardrums. Not only did he allow himself to be tricked by his cousin once, but  _twice_ in one day. 

He can't think, can't look at the smaller boy without blushing so embarrassingly, so furiously. It's too much and Mori stands to his feet, turning away to head for the other room without another word or even tucking Honey in for naptime. 

Yet it's not the expected burst of cries he receives from the boy he's turned his back to. No, instead it's a very sharp tone of voice only used when the situation has become very serious.

“Takashi! Don't walk away!”

Mori stops.

“Please come back?”

Honey's voice slips back into its sweet, persuasive normality. 

“I need to think.”

Mori starts again toward the rest of the club who thankfully remain quite a way away and utterly clueless to the drama occurring in the other room.

He takes a few long strides before he's forced to stop once again.

“Ouch!”

Honey has risen from the sofa only to step directly on the injured ankle, which apparently really  _does_ hurt him. He begins to teeter back and forth, his balance skewed from the shooting pain, but he attempts to chase after the taller boy with determination. He doesn't get very far, however, because Mori gives in soon enough, catching the small boy in his arms just as he's about to crash to the floor again. 

“Please don't leave, Takashi. I didn't mean to make you feel bad.”

“It's okay,” Mori lies. He really doesn't know how to deal with these feelings.

“I just thought you'd catch on after a while...”

Mori scoops the small boy into his arms and sets him back on the sofa, then settles on the floor in front of him.

“Catch... on?”

“Well, _first_ I told you I loved you. _Then_ I took you out on a romantic date. And _lastly_ , I gave you a kiss!” 

Mori blinks, swallowing a heavy gulp down his throat. This is all true, of course. He has not forgotten any of these incidents as his emotions have been running wild in his mind since last Thursday. And yet it's taken all three incidents to finally turn on the lightbulb within his brain. At least now it's flashing with a bright, blinding light.

“Oh.”

“You get it now?” Honey lifts an expectant brow, a bit of unusual sass intertwined with his words.

Mori drops his head, a tiny smile spreading across his lips. “Yeah,” he says softly.

“Yay!!” Honey giggles, wasting no time. “Soooooo, I was thinking. You said you love me, right?”

“...right.”

“And you want to go on dates with me?”

“...uh huh.”

“Do you wanna, maybe...  _kiss_ me again?”

Mori lifts his head, a slight sigh deflating from him. Honey can be so very persuasive. And yet, Mori _does_ want to kiss him again. But he wants to do it the right way this time: with both of them in on the secret.

“I might. But I don't know... if I should.”

Honey kicks back his feet, waving Usa-chan around by his knees. “You always tell me to do whatever I want. You should do what you want, too, Takashi.”

Mori chuckles a little under his breath. So Honey  _does_ listen to him after all.

The air in the room becomes less and less as Mori closes the space between them. His eyes slip shut, his large hands resting gently on Honey's shoulders as their lips connect once more. He likes the way this feels. It's familiar yet also new. And he would like it to become  _not_ so new.

“Mitsukuni...” he whispers when he pulls away a minute later.

“Mhm?” Honey purrs, obviously very pleased with himself as he opens his eyes and comes back down from his blissful cloud.

“Don't think I've forgotten about your naptime.”

And Mori's back to his regular self.

Honey pulls Usa-chan to his chest and falls back into the sofa pillows. Who knew it took kisses to put him to bed so easily?

“More kissing when I wake up?” Honey bats his big eyelashes as Mori pulls the soft pink blankets up to the boy's chin.

“Only if you don't wake up cranky.”

A tiny huff escapes the boy-lolita and he nuzzles down into his fluffy nest of blankets and pillows. 

When Mori stands up to head back into the other room and finish entertaining his guests, he can't help the way his heart leaps at the thought of more kisses, more dates and more I love yous. 

“Everything alright with Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai?” the girl in makeup who sits leering toward Haruhi asks as Mori enters the room.

A moment of silence passes over him before Mori nods his head, a small smile peeking across his lips. 

“Yeah.”

 


End file.
